A proposal to allow former Bernalillo County elected officials to get a job with the county immediately after leaving office might have a rocky road to passage.
County commissioners Tuesday agreed to publish a possible amendment to the county code that would do away with the current one-year “cooling-off period” — that’s how long a former elected official must wait becoming a county employee or consultant.
Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada sponsored the proposal. He’s leaving office at the end of the year, but said he has no intentions of working for the county after stepping down.
Quezada said his idea is that newly elected officials such as a sheriff, treasurer or assessor should have the option to add former officials to their staff, to take advantage of the expertise they may have.
Other commissioners, notably Vice Chair Eric Olivas, raised concerns about the possibility of the appearance of impropriety. He said concerns are often raised on the national level when members of Congress end up as lobbyists.
“This isn’t exactly the same thing, but it’s on the same path,” he said.
Olivas said 12 months is not a long time, and that the state’s largest county has a lot of individuals who are able to serve in different capacities.
Quezada argued it can be difficult for an official to assemble a staff that meets his or her needs.
“You could just look at the mayor’s office and how many people have revolved through that,” he said. “Because they cannot seem to put the right team together.”
Quezada said he was hoping to have new rules in place by the time new officials are sworn in next year.
Commissioner Walt Benson said he understands concerns about the appearance of favoritism, but that he could support an amendment in some form. Benson noted that a county-level elected official can now take a job in state government immediately after leaving office.
Commissioners Benson, Quezada and Adriann Barboa voted to publish the code change. Olivas and Commission Chair Barbara Baca voted against it.
The rule change proposal will be publicly posted for at least 30 days and brought back for possible final adoption consideration on or after Dec. 10.
Quezada said he plans to work with county legal staff and clarify the language in the proposal to address his colleagues’ concerns.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
WHEN: 5 p.m. Nov. 12
WHERE: Ken Sanchez Commission Chambers in BernalilloCounty@Alvarado Square, 415 Silver Ave SW
VIRTUAL: GOV-TV, on the county’s website or on Bernalillo County’s YouTube channel